Stereotypes In Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction is Quentin Tarantino's most revered film, debuting in 1994. It features a series of disjointed stories surrounding a crime boss, Marsellus, and his hitmen, particularly, Vince Vega, a loyal, but sloppy and inept man who is assigned to various tasks ranging from taking care of Marsellus’ wife, to assassinating a boxer, Butch, who double crossed Marsellus. However, he is only one of many different fully flushed out characters in the film. The film aims to explore these different characters in depth over it’s length. The film nearly disregards formal plot conventions in order to accomplish this. The stories are only loosely connected, told in a non-linear style, and without a real conflict. It would be difficult to even declare a single protagonist. The clear main character, Vince, is not someone you champion. He stirs something closer to pity and contempt, due to his sloppiness. He accidentally kills a partner through his carelessness, he is frequently high while on his job, and he can not seem to take any situation seriously. His partner Jules Winnfield who is a much more profound, deeper thinker, clashes with him as a character, which is obvious when the pair are discussing miracles and philosophies. All of this contributes to him being fairly unlikable, but still the most important character of the film. Another reason I would stretch to call him the protagonist is due to the fact that he rarely moves the plot forward in a meaningful way. Many events occur around him, and sometimes even as a result of his actions, but he never makes a conscious decision that directly contributes to the plot. His common leitmotif would be his proclivity to always reside in the restroom when anything important is occurring. How can one care about a character that seems so far removed from the actual storyline? The answer lies in the storyline itself, or lack thereof. The film, as mentioned above, does not rely on conventional plot techniques. …show more content…
This is because the film is more concerned with the environment the characters are currently in, rather than how they got there or where they are going next. The film presents multiple independent, yet interlaced scenarios. There is no centralized plot, this allows Tarantino to focus on other aspects, especially the characters, without creating too much investment in any single character, each has redeeming qualities as well as flaws. One character, Marsellus, the boss is always shrouded in mystery. His character is developed by the characters around him. They take great caution around him so as not to rile him. They often gossip about him, but never directly confront him out of fear. This lends to his mystery and power. Additionally, he is hardly ever seen in the film, only the back of his head, and he never reveals what is in his briefcase, but only relays that it is of the utmost importance to him, all of which further adds to his mystery. Another character, Butch, is developed as a foil to Vincent Vega. For all of Vega’s flaws and carelessness, Butch is astute, and whereas Vega is extremely loyal to Marsellus, Butch crosses him, and lives for himself, only saving Marsellus later because he deems it the right thing to do, not out of any emotional commitment to Marsellus or anyone else. Butch is also much more secure in himself, while Vega would discuss with himself how to deal with Mia Wallace, Marsellus’ wife, Butch has